John henry flett



(No Model.)

J; H'. PL'ETT. I AUTOMATIG GAR UNGOUPLER.

INVENTOR Patented June 7, 1887.

WITNES% -615ZM I ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Phom-Lxlhngrnphur. Wnsh'mglnn. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY FLETT, or c ALvEsToN, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF PART TO JOHN GOGGAN AND WILLIAM A. HOGAN, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

'. AUTOMATIC CAR-UNCOUPLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,236, dated June 7, 1887.-

Application filed October 19. 1886. Serial No. 2L6,G49. (No model.)

To all whom, it mag concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN HENRY FLETT, of Galveston,in the county of Galveston and State of Texas, have invented anew and Improved Automatic CanUucoupler, of which the following is a full,.elear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a novel device applicable for use in connection with most any form of cancoupler, the Obj ect of the invention being to provide for the automatic uncoupling of a car should such car become accidentally derailed or thrown from the track.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

I5 in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an end view of a freight-car provided with my improved automatic uncouplcr. Fig. 2 is a side view of one end of the car, taken in the direction of the arrows shown in connection with Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a View of a modified arrangement wherein the uncoupler is represented as adjusted for use in connection with the ordinary form of passenger-coach 2 5 coupling.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, 10 represents the draw-head, and 11 the coupling-pin, of an ordinary form of freight car, as 12. The coupling-pin 11 is connected to a lever, 13, by a chain, 14, said lever 13 being mounted upon a stud or bracket, 16, which stud or bracket is secured to the end of the car.

7 To the opposite end of the lever 13 there is 3 5 secured a chain, 17, which carries a heavy ball or weight, 18, which ball or weight normally rests in a socket, 20, that is bolted to the end of the car, the socket and weight being so proportioned that the weight will not fall from 0 the socket except when the car is subjected to some extraordinaryjolt-as,for instance,when the car becomes derailed. In such case-that is, when a car does become derailed-thejolting will cause the weight to bounce out of thei5 Socket, and in falling the weight will act to throw the lever in the direction of the arrow shown in connection therewith in Fig. 1, thus withdrawing the coupling-pin 11 from the draw-head 10 and uncoupling the car in connection with which the apparatus above dcscribed is employed.

In Fig. 3 I represent the socket 20. as secured beneath the platform 21 of an ordinary form of passenger-coach, and in thiscase the chain 14 extends upward over a sheave, 22, to be connected to the lever 23, by which the coupler 24 is operated, the weight of the chain 14 being counterbalanced by a small weight,24.

In the case under consideration the chain 25 of the lever-locking block 26 is secured to the chain 14, and when the car becomes derailed the weight 18, in falling, will act first to raise the lever-locking block and then to throw the lever in the direction of the arrow, thus uncoupling the cars. The advantages arising from this form of uncoupler are self-evident.

I am aware that a car-coupler has been formed of two laterally'movable spring-pressed hooked jaws having hand -1evers for uncoupling or disconnecting them, a plate being pivoted to one jaw and provided with side flanges which pass at Opposite sides of the hooked jaws when engaged to positively lock them in place. A

7 chain was attached to this flanged plate at one end, passed thence over a pulley on the car, 7 5 and was provided with a weight at its opposite end, resting in a deep bracket on the car, so that by removing the weight and allowing it to fall the flanged plate would be raised, after which the levers could be operated by hand to force the spring-pressed jaws out of engagement, and I do not claim any such construe tion as of my invention but I am not aware that a weight supported on the car has ever been connected to a coupling-pin or to a coupling-hook, or to a lever for disengaging the coupling devices, or, in fact, to any part of a coupler that would cause the cars to separate when the weight was forced by a, sud den jolt or otherwise from its support, and this is the vital principle of my invention. By coupling, as used in my claims, I mean the pin, coupling-jaws, or parts that actually hold the cars together, no matter how formed.

Having thus fully described my invention, 5

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters the car and in connection with the coupler, Ice

whereby when the weight is released from the car by the derailing of the car or otherwise the coupling will be released or its parts disengaged and the cars separated, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a coupling adapted to hold two cars together, of an nncoupler comprising a lever pivotally connected to the car, a weight supported on the car and connected to said lever, and a connection between the Weight-operated lever and the coupling for operating it, to separate the cars upon the dropping of the weight, substantially as described.

3. lhe combination, with a movable coupling-jaw and the hand-lever for operating the same, of an uncoupler comprising a weight supported on the car and connected to said lever, whereby when the weight is released and falls the lever will be moved and the coupling-jaw operated, substantially as set forth.

4. In a car-coupler having a horizontallymovable hooked coupling-jaw, an operating hand-lever for the same, and a locking-block for said lever, connected by a chain, an uncoupling mechanism comprising a weight supported on the car and connected to said chain, whereby when the weight falls the chain will be first operated to raise the locking-block,

and then further operated to move the handlever, and thereby operate the coupling-jaw, substantially as set forth.

5. In a car-coupler having a horizontallymovable hooked coupling-jaw, an operating hand-lever therefor, and a locking-block for said handlever, connected thereto by a chain having a Weight, an uncoupling mechanism comprising a weight supported on the car and connected by a flexible connection with said Weighted chain, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with a car-coupling, of an uncoupling device comprising a bracket having a shallow rounded open recess or socket, a Weight having a rounded surface and resting loosely in said recess or socket, and a connection between said weight and the coupling proper, whereby the weight may be readily unseated by derailment of the car and release or disengage the coupling by its fall, and thereby separate the cars, substantially as set forth.

JOHN HENRY FLETI.

Witnesses:

O. 0. LA SALINIERE, W. A. HOGAN. 

